Location: 555 W. Kinzie St., Chicago, IL 60654
A Quick Word:
The main reason why I would come back to Blue Agave is their drinks. They offer a wide range of margaritas and spins on other Mexican Classic drinks. They do have a pretty extensive menu of tex-mex/mexican style food, but I personally didn't eat them so this review is basically concerning their drinks. The prices tend to be a little steep which might steer away some people, but if you have a few extra bucks to spend and want a strong drink, definitely try this place out. The atmosphere at the Kinzie location is great. Lots of TVs for the game and a huge communal bar is the focal point of the restaurant. Check it out.
What We Ate and Mostly Drank:
One random night, my friends and I decided last minute to watch the football game at Blue Agave. This would be only the second or maybe third time I ordered food here, but the first since they changed their menu. I had the steak torta, which is nicknamed "the football." I wondered why until the meal hit the table. The torta is filled with grilled steak, lettuce, tomato, red onions, salsa, queso fresco, and sour cream. It comes with a side of steak fries. The bread is nicely toasted, but the sandwich was too Americanized to even act like a Mexican dish. The size was the largest torta I had ever seen, but the quantity definitely hurt the quality. The meat was nothing special and they only part I really enjoyed was adding the guacamole to the sandwich. It is a big dish so definitely think about sharing.
Another one of their menu changes was the way they serve their meals. I had the three taco dinner with two al pastor tacos and one steak. Rather than giving your rice and beans, you get to choose your sides... I stuck with the mexican corn (elote) and the red pozole. I wasn't a big fan of the tacos... the steak tasted like the al pastor which tasted like the pozole. Some weird theme going on or just cross contamination? Who knows... Anyway, the elote was delicious. Sweet corn with a little cheese, mayo, and seasoning. I'll definitely stick with the tamale next time.
Whenever we head to Blue Agave, a few drinks are a must to have. From Left to Right, we have the "Beer-Rita", the "Three G's Margarita, and the "Rum-chata". Each of these drinks are incredible. My personal favorite is the Beer-Rita which is their house margarita topped off with a Coronita. The Beer-Rita is extremely strong, needing one to feel good, and two or three to be absolutely GREAT. The Three G's margarita uses higher quality tequila. And, the Rum-chata is the spiked version of the classic horchata. Choose one of these drinks and you will not be disappointed.
Not wanting to eat too much, we just stuck with the chips and salsa that comes when you have a seat. Ya, it sounds sort of cheap, but after a few drinks, the bill still came up on the upper side of $35 so the free chips and salsa was a good idea. The chips were freshly fried and served somewhat warm. And the salsa was chunkier than most places but not as spicy as I hoped for.
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- I would definitely come here to pregame a party or just to have a few drinks. They are a little pricy, but the strength of the drinks make up for the cost.
DON'T:
- Do not drive around here... It is next to impossible to find free parking and the meters are pretty expensive in this area. There is a jewel close by, so if you feel like gambling, you can always park there and then walk over.
How far would I walk for this food?
A Quick Word:
The main reason why I would come back to Blue Agave is their drinks. They offer a wide range of margaritas and spins on other Mexican Classic drinks. They do have a pretty extensive menu of tex-mex/mexican style food, but I personally didn't eat them so this review is basically concerning their drinks. The prices tend to be a little steep which might steer away some people, but if you have a few extra bucks to spend and want a strong drink, definitely try this place out. The atmosphere at the Kinzie location is great. Lots of TVs for the game and a huge communal bar is the focal point of the restaurant. Check it out.
What We Ate and Mostly Drank:
Steak Torta
One random night, my friends and I decided last minute to watch the football game at Blue Agave. This would be only the second or maybe third time I ordered food here, but the first since they changed their menu. I had the steak torta, which is nicknamed "the football." I wondered why until the meal hit the table. The torta is filled with grilled steak, lettuce, tomato, red onions, salsa, queso fresco, and sour cream. It comes with a side of steak fries. The bread is nicely toasted, but the sandwich was too Americanized to even act like a Mexican dish. The size was the largest torta I had ever seen, but the quantity definitely hurt the quality. The meat was nothing special and they only part I really enjoyed was adding the guacamole to the sandwich. It is a big dish so definitely think about sharing.
Taco Dinner
Another one of their menu changes was the way they serve their meals. I had the three taco dinner with two al pastor tacos and one steak. Rather than giving your rice and beans, you get to choose your sides... I stuck with the mexican corn (elote) and the red pozole. I wasn't a big fan of the tacos... the steak tasted like the al pastor which tasted like the pozole. Some weird theme going on or just cross contamination? Who knows... Anyway, the elote was delicious. Sweet corn with a little cheese, mayo, and seasoning. I'll definitely stick with the tamale next time.
A few of their Drink Specials
Whenever we head to Blue Agave, a few drinks are a must to have. From Left to Right, we have the "Beer-Rita", the "Three G's Margarita, and the "Rum-chata". Each of these drinks are incredible. My personal favorite is the Beer-Rita which is their house margarita topped off with a Coronita. The Beer-Rita is extremely strong, needing one to feel good, and two or three to be absolutely GREAT. The Three G's margarita uses higher quality tequila. And, the Rum-chata is the spiked version of the classic horchata. Choose one of these drinks and you will not be disappointed.
Chips and Salsa
Not wanting to eat too much, we just stuck with the chips and salsa that comes when you have a seat. Ya, it sounds sort of cheap, but after a few drinks, the bill still came up on the upper side of $35 so the free chips and salsa was a good idea. The chips were freshly fried and served somewhat warm. And the salsa was chunkier than most places but not as spicy as I hoped for.
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- I would definitely come here to pregame a party or just to have a few drinks. They are a little pricy, but the strength of the drinks make up for the cost.
DON'T:
- Do not drive around here... It is next to impossible to find free parking and the meters are pretty expensive in this area. There is a jewel close by, so if you feel like gambling, you can always park there and then walk over.
How far would I walk for this food?
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